


Unseen Sparks

by JaymieSarner



Category: The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-15
Updated: 2016-04-15
Packaged: 2018-06-02 10:09:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6562198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaymieSarner/pseuds/JaymieSarner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games. This story is merely a head canon on the life of Clove, Volunteer Tribute for District 2 in the 74th Annual Hunger Games. I felt that there was so much more to her beginnings than Ms. Collins described. Especially of how she became so unstable and unforgiving. In my mind there is no way she was always that way. Something must’ve happened to make her into the ruthless District 2 tribute of the 74th Games. This story also explains her tensions with Katniss in greater depth as well. </p>
<p>“Unseen Sparks” was created to explain what I think happened before and after Clove volunteered as tribute and how she experienced her life in District 2 as well as her Hunger Games. The Clove of my head canon more closely resembles the Clove portrayed by Isabelle Fuhrman in the Hunger Games film. She is small, agile, skilled and clearly has mentally unhinged. It also contains events that occurred to Katniss Everdeen that the District 12 tribute was never willing to share with her audience.</p>
<p>Be advised; this story may alter slightly as I submit new chapters. Art is never truly finished.</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Age had crept up on Peeta Mellark like a lion stalking it's prey. While the years had been good to the baker boy, the elderly man now had to walk with the aid of a cane. His salt and pepper coloured hair clung neatly to his skull and his once strong muscles had begun to fail him. Yes, age was sneaky, but at least he still had his health. His wife on the other hand was dying. Peeta knew it was true. It was an evolved form of cancer thanks to the experiments of the previous regime. While the cancer of the 21st century was no longer an issue to cure, this version was. It rapidly invaded the system causing a slow unavoidable death. Some muttations didn't die with the Dark Days.  
  
Peeta and Katniss Everdeen had spent over 60 years together in District 12 after Coriolanus Snow was abruptly ejected from power. They got married a few short months after President Paylor pardoned her for the surprise murder of President Coin. Not long after, they began to have children. Watching the children being born and then caring for them as they grew were some of the most joyful years of their lives. Their daughter, named after Katniss' late sister Primrose, was now a mother of three. Their son Chaser had never married, but once his mother became ill, he immediately put the love of his job in the Capitol on hold to come home and care for her.  
  
Strangely, Katniss had become more talkative about her past in recent weeks. Peeta knew his wife well. Her mind had always been like a combination lock. After the children were born, it became even harder to crack that shell. Lately though, Peeta was able to gain access quite easily. He wasn't sure why, but he suspected it might be because Katniss was nearly at her end. The hospital had become Peeta's home over the past few months. He knew his wife's flame was dying.  
  
"Dad," Primrose stroked her father's arm gently as they sat in the bland waiting room. "Are you okay? You look troubled?"  
  
The years had turned Peeta's voice from strong and smooth to a hallow rasp.  
  
"Yes my darling," he replied with a weary smile. "I just worry about your mother. I hate to see her in pain. It's pain that I can do nothing about, yet she has eased so much of mine in the past."  
  
"Father, it's okay." Chaser said calmly as he flattened a wrinkle out of his blue suit. "There are some kinds of pain you can't ease. I thought you would know that better than anyone."  
  
"Yes," Peeta smiled. His children had definitely grown to be two amazing individuals. "You are right of course. Thank you for reminding me, my son."  
  
They waited quietly for the nurse to finish her rounds and let them in. It wasn't long before a nurse came to escort them to the bedside of the once Girl on Fire.  
  
Katniss' silver hair was tied back into her signature single braid as her head rested gently on a pillow. She stared out of a large window into the trees of District 12. Peeta could see that she yearned to hunt within the woods again. To be one with nature. He could tell she missed the scent of pine and the weight of a bow in her hand.  
  
Katniss seemed more alert today. This was always a good sign to her family. It meant that Katniss would be willing to hold a conversation and not sit there in silence. Those days made Peeta feel helpless. At least today, he could help with something, even if it was just talking about the weather.  
  
"Hello my love," Peeta said quietly, as he kissed Katniss gingerly on the forehead. "How was your night?"  
  
Katniss gave a weak smile, but it was wider than usual. Another good sign.  
  
"I slept very well," she responded. "Almost like how I used to before the Games."  
  
Peeta felt a little leap of joy in his stomach.  
  
"That's good," he smiled. "That's very good."  
  
Primrose and Chaser stood at the foot of the bed, smiling at their mother. They caught Katniss' eye.  
  
"Oh my darlings," the former archer cried, attempting to move to hug them. "How are you?"  
  
Both of her children hugged their mother and told her what they had been doing lately. Primrose was always willing to talk about her kids. Katniss had always enjoyed those discussions. They were her grandchildren after all. It was wonderful to hear that they were turning into brilliant young individuals just like her daughter. Chaser on the other hand, always spoke about his job. He never spoke about any sort of love interest, even if his parents inquired. Peeta swore that his son was married to his job as a story writer for Capitol News. Even so, he would always drop his work for his family. It was clear that they were very important to them.  
  
"Peeta," Katniss said weakly. "I need to tell you something."  
  
Peeta looked at his wife with a small look of surprise. More and more lately, Katniss was willing to talk openly about her life. It was a wonderful change, but it took 60 years to get to this point. Peeta felt his heart break. It meant that she was close to the end.  
  
"What is it dear?" he inquired. "Is it bad?"  
  
"No, my love," Katniss said with fondness in her voice. "But it is important. The children should hear it too I think. It has to do with the 74th Hunger Games."  
  
About 15 years ago, Chaser had taken up his father's mission of remembrance. It began shortly after the 74th Games when Peeta started to paint pictures of the fallen tributes. Eventually, it evolved into data collection. Birth dates, members of the families, life before their games and so on were written down and cataloged into the Hunger Games Remembrance Archives. Chaser had been a major contributor, cataloguing at least one story on each of the 1,743 tributes that lost their lives.  
  
"Which tribute?" their son inquired.  
  
"It's about Clove. From District 2. I warn you, it may come as a shock."  
  
Their son pulled out a recorder and a pad of paper. He pressed "Play".  
  
"The date is March 10th, 2369. Testimony by Katniss Everdeen, Victor of the 74th Hunger Games in the year 2306. Topic is; Fallen Tribute Clove from District 2. Go ahead Mom."  
  
"Thank you Chaser." Katniss beamed at her son.  
  
She had always been proud of her son's mission for the truth. It was what kept Panem honest after the Dark Days. Katniss drew a deep breath. She knew this story would shock a lot of people, but it had to be told. Everything needed to be remembered. Retelling the stories was what would keep Panem from repeating it's mistakes.  
  
"Peeta," the elderly woman said softly to her husband. "Remember when I asked you 'Who's Clove?' during the games?"  
  
"Yes dear. I do."  
  
"I already knew," Katniss' eyes fell as she spoke. "I got to know her very well in the weeks leading up to the games."  
  
"How well?"  
  
"Chaser," Katniss called to her son, deliberately ignoring Peeta's question. "This is about Clove's life before she became a tribute and what occurred between her and I just before those games."  
  
"How big is this story Mom?"  
  
Katniss chuckled to herself as she remembered how the Capitol used to get their entertainment.  
  
"Without spoiling the story, let's just say that if anyone besides Cinna, Clove and myself found out, the Capitol tabloids would have had a field day."  
  
Peeta and Primrose both looks shocked. Chaser, ever the newsman, kept a poker face.  
  
"Where would you like to start?"  
  
Katniss smiled at her son.  
  
"Let's start with a familiar name to you. Her name was Mayn..."


	2. Chapter 2

Mayn usually hung out in the fields near the outskirts of District 2 during training lunch hours. The quiet girl with soft features and a long dirty blonde hair in a braid didn't have much love for the training. Regardless she applied herself and trained hard and effectively. The girl’s reflexes were as quick as her mind and her skill with a quarterstaff was as smooth as the still morning waters of the quarry lake. Her father was a one of several quarry foremen in the district and was also an extremely devout loyalist to the Capitol. Her mother was a victor and now one of the commanders of the district’s peacekeepers. Mayn had nearly too much to live up to. She had been placed in the Academy by her father at age 8, even though her mother had heavily protested to it. Mayn’s mother originally didn't like the idea of her daughter being trained at all. It was almost as if her mother didn’t want Mayn to steal the glory of her honour…or perhaps it was a different reason entirely. Mayn had never figured it out. Her tall, muscular and blonde mother had always been much less loyal to the Capitol than most people in the district. Still that never stopped her from commanding the peacekeeping units of District 2. No matter what, her mother had always managed to keep peace in the district. The only exception seemed to be Reaping Day.

District 2 had long since retired the glass globes of names. These days, two or three people would volunteer for their gender. This would result in a fight. Deaths from these fights were rare and permanent disability was uncommon, but usually someone would be spending a night or two in the hospital…disgraced. Apparently the Capitol loved it when District 2 had their reaping. It was like an early Hunger Games to them…only the loser of those fights were barred by District law from attempting to volunteer again. A fate worse than death. Weak potential tributes were not something District 2 took lightly. There were only two tributes that had ever lost a reaping fight that were allowed to volunteer again. The first one, Enobaria, became a victor. The second one, was killed during the bloodbath of his games. District 2 passed a law shortly after his death forever shunning volunteers who lost a reaping fight. Usually, they made up the poorer people of the district who sometimes went starving in the middle of the winter.

Mayn’s mother didn’t volunteer. As she recalled the old video of her mother’s reaping, her mother had actually been chosen the old fashion way. District 2 had been a career district then as well, but for once, no one contested the selection when her name had being drawn. Perhaps it was because she looked terrifyingly strong. Perhaps they knew she was one of District 2’s most strategic minds. Or maybe it was because they knew she questioned the Capitol and the District’s methods and rules openly. Mayn couldn’t know for sure, but she was certain it was the last one. If she went to the games, they would finally be rid of her…only she came back a victor. She settled down with her Academy sweetheart, who by then had dropped out to work in the quarries. They had Mayn nearly 15 years later.

There were probably many reasons why Mayn was born so long after her parents were wed. It was possible that they had tremendous difficulty conceiving after her mother had fallen nearly 30 feet during her games onto a rock, crushing half of her rib cage. Or perhaps her night terrors were more pronounced then, even though they could still be extremely disturbing and vivid for her now. No…Mayn had more than once openly said that she thought she was an accident. That her parents waited that long…because they fought…a lot. Angry couples do not conceive easily.

The fights these days were usually about Mayn’s Academy training. Her father was expecting great things out of her, while her mother simply wanted her to just become a peacekeeper that would eventually be shipped off to another District. Their verbal anger was hard enough to hear, but it was much worse when they got physical over it. That is why she never went home at lunch. That is why she spent most of her hours in the fields on the far side of the eastern most quarry. There she would lie there…and wait…for the one thing that always made her day less dark.

A small sound perked up her ears. She knew what it was and what it meant. Mayn prepared herself for what was to come…and to react. Subconsciously, her hands fell open, ready to deflect what was coming. She closed her eyes and listened closely to the faint rustling of the tall grass. Then she heard the barely audible **_whoosh_** of an incoming attack.

A body lunged at her with a knife in hand and attempted to wrestle Mayn to the ground. Mayn pushed back and head-butted her assailant in the head. The two rolled through the tall grass. Somewhere along the way, the knife was lost. Mayn knew she had won as soon as the blade clanged away. Though her attacker was skilled at wrestling, once disarmed, the raw courage within those dark brown eyes seemed to always drain away.

Mayn pinned her attacker on the flat of their back and stared down intently into familiar, smiling face.

“Damn,” breathed Clove with a grin. “I can never pull one over on you.”

Mayn smiled down at the girl under her.

“Mom taught me how to avoid assassination…or have you forgotten?”

The two girls untangled and dusted themselves off. Clove retrieved her knife and sheathed it inside her vest under her jacket. Then they sat down together.

“Never” Clove responded with a smile.

Clove always brought some food for them to eat. In District 2, it was uncommon for anyone besides failed tributes to go hungry. Like Mayn, Clove had a victor in the family. She couldn’t remember which games he won, but it was within the first decade of their inception. Even if both girls hasn’t come from such well-off families, they still likely would have always had food and drink to share with each other.

The knife thrower pulled out package of jerky and a small loaf of bread.

“It’s Reaping Day tomorrow for the 73rd,” Clove said as she tore at a piece of dried meat. “Got any plans?”

Mayn looked down. She was tired of her parents’ current argument topic. Very tired...

“Perhaps,” She responded. “I hate it here. The only thing good about it is you, Clove.”

Clove smiled mischievously.

“Oh yeah? Why is that?”

The two girls recalled the time they played practical jokes on some peacekeepers. In 2, peacekeepers defiantly weren’t oppressive guards. They acted more like regular law enforcement officers who arrested citizens who broke the sensible laws. Rarely did they take their anger out on a citizen that just flat out annoyed them. Even then, they would face a mighty lecture from one of their superior officer afterwards. Most peacekeepers just shook their heads and smiled as the two young girls pranked their colleagues. After all, no one was ever hurt and they were just kids. Not to mention, both Clove and Mayn were in line to become peacekeepers themselves when they graduated from the Academy. Panem was their oyster.

“You’re the one person who has ever made me feel like I’m more than just a victor’s daughter,” Mayn said sadly as she peeled away her bread crust. “Like I’m a regular person with dreams. Like there is something beyond these damn Hunger Games and District 2.”

“There is,” Clove responded with a soft smile on her face. “You just have to be willing to go for it.”

They caught each others eyes as a memory flickered in the back of both their heads. Then a smile crossed their faces, as that memory warmed their hearts.

Clove herself had chosen to start in the Academy when she turned 9. Her father had been a well-liked peacekeeper. He died in a house fire when she was 7, while he attempted to save a family from the flames. Clove had idolized his bravery and selflessness for as long as she could remember, even before that terrible day. Her father’s death only served to motivate her rather than tear her apart. She would be a peacekeeper, just like him. Clove would make her father proud.

Her first few days in the Academy changed Clove’s life forever. Instantly she had been drawn to Mayn. There were so many qualities she had that Clove envied. Strength, agility, courage, respect, kindness and heart were among the few that she could categorize. The rest was just awe.

At first the two were bitter rivals. They tried to beat each other in everything they did. Whether it was climbing, fighting or who could get their rifle assembled the fastest, they challenged one another. The instructors loved their gusto. However, more than once they had gone over the edge in a sparring match. One particularly bad match resulted in the instructors pulling them apart and handcuffing them to their seats to stop them from literally killing one another. They stared each other down across the room for the next few hours as they remained restrained, sending the other threatening glares and growled.

It took more time that it should have, but eventually both girls realized their hatred was misplaced. It all seemed to happen in a nanosecond.

One rainy night, Clove cornered Mayn while she was walking home. The two fought and struggled into a nearby barn that was closed down for the night. The strange part was that no peacekeeper ever came by to settle them. Later, Clove speculated to Mayn that perhaps the instructors had told them off to let the two girls fight it out. Even though the competition in the Academy was good, the tension had gotten extremely unhealthy. The instructors were human too and they knew that the tension had to snap on its own, even if it wasn’t on Academy grounds.

Drenched in rainwater, they rolled, punched, kicked and pulled at each other through dirt and mud. After a long struggle, the two fell into a hay reserve used for keeping the quarry horses fed. Suddenly they stopped and stared at each other. Mayn into dark brown, Clove into icy-blue. Neither could figure out what had just washed over them, but in that very second there was no hope of stopping it. The tension snapped like a rubber band pulled too far.

Lust rushed over the two of them as their lips collided. They rolled in the hay, kissing, nipping, caressing, grabbing. It felt like forever before either of them took a breath. Even then, neither of them wanted to stop what was happening to them. They wanted more. They needed more.

Clove pulled Mayn close in a powerful embrace, holding the back of her partner’s head and drawing the kiss deeper. Mayn moaned in her mouth as their tongues crashed together, making Clove’s mind nearly fall apart.

_What the hell is happening!_ Clove called out to herself. _Has it never been hatred? Have I always felt this way about her?_

The brunette could feel Mayn struggling with the same thoughts. Gently, Clove tucked her hand under the jawbone of her partner and pulled her in for a less aggressive, more comforting and loving kiss. It sent shivers down Clove’s spine. So deep, so warm, so…home.

_I guess I have._ She thought. _It makes sense. I’ve always wanted to be at her side. To be her equal._

Their mouths parted and they stared into each other’s eyes again. Each girl raised a hand to stroke the other's face.

“All this time?” Mayn whispered inquiringly. “All this time…this is what our problems have been about?”

Clove gently tucked a strand of hair back behind Mayn’s ear.

“I guess so,” she replied. “I mean, I’ve always felt more confident around you. I always envied you, your skills and your…beauty.”

Their lips came together again in a passionate but brief kiss.

Tears welled up in Mayn’s eyes. Clove feared possible rejection and let go of her partner in horror.

“No!” Mayn protested as she pulled Clove back into her arms. “Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me.”

“Sorry,” Clove whispered and she held her partners head to her chest. “I’m sorry. I thought…I’m sorry.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you felt like this? Why didn’t you tell me that you didn’t want to be enemies, but instead…”

“I didn’t know,” stumbled Clove. “I had no idea until just now. I know it’s a terrible excuse, but it’s true.”

Mayn smiled through tears at Clove and held her close.

“It’s ok,” She breathed mere centimeters from Clove’s lips. “I never felt alone when you were around. Now I’ll never feel alone again.”

The two spent the next few hours with each other surrounded by hay; holding, kissing, caressing and smiling. No one, not a peacekeeper or even a farmhand, disturbed them.

That was when Mayn began to feel hope in a dream of becoming something more than a victor’s daughter. When she felt more like Clove’s lover and less like what her father wanted to be. His perfect tribute. His glorious sacrifice for the Capitol.

“I’m no hunter, Clove but I think I could make it.”

Clove snapped out of her daydream of the night she realized she was in love with Mayn. Her face became sheet white as Mayn's words sunk in.

“No!” Clove nearly yelled as she jumped to her feet. “Don’t do it! Don’t be a pawn in their game! Do you know the chances of you coming out of that?”

“I’m a strategist. I know. And its low…only 4%...but I have something…someone…to live for.”

“And do you think no other tribute will?! One and Four won’t go over easy. And our male tribute won’t even care that you are a girl.”

Mayn signed. She didn’t want to appease her father, or betray her mother…but she didn’t care about them anymore. All that mattered was Clove. Though Clove didn’t need protection or shielding, Mayn had always been the one to step in front when someone attempted to harm her. More than once, her protective stance had resulted in a fight between them. In the end, Clove always gave in. Mayn was the first and only person who could literally melt Clove into a puddle.

“Clove…please. I want us to be able to get away from here. To be happy.”

“We could do that in the wilds, Mayn.” Clove snapped back.

It was strange to Mayn that Clove wasn’t relenting. She never tried to manipulate Clove, but the agile knife wielder usually had difficulty saying no to her. Clove did have a hard shell protecting herself from everyone else, but in front of Mayn, she was an innocent, gentle and kind soul. One that always put Mayn before all else.

“Mayn, we can go live in the forest until we’re too old for that. Then we can come back or go to a different district.”

“Dad would make sure we were avox’d if we did that,” tears began to stream from her icy-blue eyes. “I know we could probably hide in the forest for the rest of our lives, but I want you to be able to come home to a house where I’m waiting with a warm meal and a warm bed for you. Free of both of our families legacies. Free from my father’s lust for glory. Free to be just us. Is it wrong to dream for that?”

Clove sat back down in the grass and tucked her hand under Mayn’s jawbone just like the night of their first kiss.

“Never,” Clove responded in a whisper. “I won’t lie. I want to be able to do the same thing for you. But I don’t want to risk losing you to achieve it. I’d say no price is too high…but that price is extreme. Not to mention…maybe one day we’ll inherit some stuff from our parents.”

Mayn shook her head.

“My dad would sooner spend all the money on himself then pass it to me. He’d probably put the entire thing on me winning the games. And your victor spoils come from early games. There may not be much left after your parents go.”

Clove took out her knife and began to sharpen it. There were tears in her eyes. The knife expert rarely cried in front of anyone, but she was never scared to show Mayn her emotions. Clove was sweet, but she hated to show weakness. To her, tears were just that.

“I can’t lose you!” Clove screamed, throwing knife away into the grass as she tightly embraced her partner. “I love you.”

Tears gushed down Clove’s cheeks as she sobbed into her lover’s shoulder.

“I love you too, Clove.”

“Just 4%! A 4% chance you would come back to me! That means there is a 96% chance you’d be volunteering to die! Are you that desperate to gain your father’s approval?!”

“No. I don’t care about his approval.”

Clove instantly stopped crying and stared at Mayn.

“What?”

“I don’t care,” Mayn repeated. “But, he threatened to have you killed if I didn’t...”

“He’s bluffing Mayn,” Clove protested. “You and I both know he’s all talk.”

Mayn put her face in her hands and sighed.

“Usually I don’t believe him when he says things like that Clove, but this time…this time he seemed completely serious."

Clove became very irritated at the thought of Mayn shielding her from her father.

“Mayn, I can handle your dad,” she snapped. “He dropped out of the Academy!”

“Not before learning some combat tricks and making some very powerful friends.”

The two girls got up in each other’s face and growled at one another. The position they were in was not unlike the stare downs they had in the past. Back then, it would have resulted in an instant fight. Afterward both of them would be bloodied and bruised and would each come home to a mother who couldn’t quite understand why their daughter was constantly getting into fights. This time though, Mayn blinked and forced her lips onto Clove’s. Clove returned the kiss by pulling Mayn into her. They both silently wept together as they kissed slowly.

“I’d rather spend the rest of my life in the quarries working like a damn dog…knowing that you’d be there when I came home…instead of you volunteer for those damn games!” Clove sobbed softly between kisses.

“Clove, I know you’d do the same if you were in my shoes. So please don’t pull that out of your ass.”

Mayn’s eyes were as dark as Clove had ever seen then. Clove’s eyes dropped to avoid looking at the combination of terror and determination in her partner’s eyes.

It was true. The pressure on a victor’s daughter was huge to volunteer. Her father was clearly being no help either. He had been bragging about Mayn’s abilities to everyone and it seemed like everyone wanted to see them. If she denied the district the honour of her sacrifice, she could be disgraced and sent to the poorer area of the district. Clove would gladly follow her there even if it meant starving, but she knew that Mayn would never let it come to that if she could help it. It wasn’t that she was a proud person. Not in the slightest. It was her love for Clove that drove her to be at her best.

_Dammit!_ The brunette thought. _Fuck you love! Why are you so complicated!_

Clove looked back up at her lover.

“I don’t like this Mayn,” she sniffed through tears. “But I’ll support you, applaud you…and wait for you to come home.”

“Thank you, Clove.”

Clove smiled even though her heart was shattering.

“Just one more favour to ask…” Mayn said softly.

Clove’s heart skipped a beat for some reason.

Mayn raised her head and looked deeply into Clove’s eyes. The pair shifted together with their foreheads touching, lips barely separated and their hands gently holding.

“What do you need?” Clove asked quietly.

Mayn smiled shyly.

“Will you spend the night with me?”


	3. Chapter 3

Clove hated all of this. The circumstance was terrible, though she knew it was inevitable. Mayn would drop anyone who dared try to challenge her as a volunteer. She would be the 73rd Hunger Games female tribute from District 2. There was no doubt about it.

_Four percent…four percent…four percent of hope, ninety-six percent chance for grief._

She threw her knife at the target on her bedroom wall imagining it to be President Coriolanus Snow, leader of Panem.

_Sadistic bastard!_

**_Thwack!_ **

Then the current Hunger Games game master, Seneca Crane.

_Murderous asshole!_

**_Thwack!_ **

Then Mayn’s father.

_YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING CUNT!_

**_THWACK!_ **

“Clove!” called her mother. “Dinner is ready.”

“I’m not hungry!”

“Tomorrow is Reaping Day dear. You need to be refreshed for the celebrations.”

“I said I’m not hungry!”

Clove’s mother poked her head into the bedroom. She looked at the wall to see two knives sticking out of the target. The third had missed completely, lodging itself into the wall. As a mother of an expert knife thrower, missing the target by that much only meant one thing. She looked at Clove with concern.

“What’s wrong hun?”

Clove didn’t answer. Her relationship with Mayn was no secret to her mother, but she never spoke about it.

Clove threw another knife and missed again.

_Damn my mother and her nose!_

**_Thwack!_ **

Clove’s mother sat down on the bed beside her. Her eyes looked almost hurt as Clove refused to meet them.

“Is it Mayn?” she asked softly.

“Dammit Mom!” snapped Clove. “I just want to be left alone!”

“I know that look, Clove,” her mother said softly as she reached for her daughter. “I’ve been around the block. I looked not much different than you when my Academy sweetheart volunteered for the 45th.

Clove stared into the distance, ignoring her mother’s embrace.

“He said he wanted us to have a better life and that he was willing to risk death to bring that to me.”

Clove felt her world totter and her eyes began to sting.

_No. No crying. No weakness._

“I’m sorry mom,” Clove said hoarsely. “But I need to handle this on my own.”

“Then what are you doing here?” her mother replied with a small smile. “Go to her. You may not get another chance.”

Clove looked at her mother with a dumbfounded expression.

_Is she actually suggesting…? Nah. Parents are thick._

A knock came from the front door.

“Can you get it Clove?” her mother asked kindly, as if she had some sort of ulterior motive.

Clove sheathed her remaining knife on her vest and walked to the front door. She opened it to find a victor standing there. Not just any victor, but Mayn’s mother.

“Hello Clove,” Lyme’s booming voice rang as she looked down from her towering height. “Can I speak with you in private?”

_Fuck! She knows what Mayn is up to and is going to pin it all on me._

The two walked around to Clove’s homemade target range, located in the woods behind the house. Technically training outside of the Academy was illegal on pain of flogging. As a commander for the peacekeepers, Lyme could have her arrested for the range, but she knew Clove couldn’t resist. The kid clearly loved the feel of the metal objects flying away from her fingertips too much. To have power and accuracy in the same stride gave the girl freedom and happiness. Clove also knew Lyme wouldn’t have her flogged. For Mayn’s sake at least.

“I suppose you know why I’m here.” Lyme said sternly.

“I could take a good guess.” Clove responded yanking some of her heavier knives from the closest target.

“Mayn intends to volunteer tomorrow.”

“I know,” Clove responded as she wiped a small knife on her pant leg, trying desperately to avoid eye contact with Lyme. “I’m surprised she told you.”

“I would say I’m proud, but I’m a victor. I know what those games are like. They aren’t games. They’re a nightmare. People die all around you and you get sprayed with blood you can never wash off. Her father was the first one to congratulate her for ‘finally seeing things right’. Sometimes I wonder…”

_Good for nothing cunt he is._ Clove thought with venom.

“I didn’t tell her to do it,” Clove didn’t mean to cut Lyme off, but the words sort of fell out. “I told her it’s not worth it. She wants a better life for…”

Lyme looked down at Clove from her tall stature.

“Go on…” she growled.

Clove felt her body begin to tremor.

“For us…”

Lyme crouched down to Clove and put her hand on the girl’s shoulder. Even on bent knee, Lyme was a head taller than Clove. Her stare was ice cold.

“I guess it is my fault then,” Clove began as she sparked flint against a knife. “If I hadn’t told her…if I had kept away…if I had kept trying to outperform her…instead of…”

“Clove!”

Clove met stern and determined eyes. Lyme’s face was not full of anger or hatred, but…concern? Was that even possible from a victor? A woman she had seen on the replays kill a girl from District 9 with not even a hint of regret, felt concern for her?

“Clove, you and Mayn may have kept what you have from others, but I’m not blind. I know how you feel. I’ve seen you two in the field before. I’ve seen the look on my daughter’s face when you come to visit her at my home. Hell, the peacekeepers caught your tussle in the barn on camera. I had them delete it…and all copies.”

Clove had never been easily embarrassed, but in that moment, she turn a deep shade of scarlet. She nervously scraped her knife against a piece of flint, generating healthy sparks.

“You’re in love with her, Clove. That is something you cannot deny yourself in life. You’ll go crazy! That’s why, even with all our fighting, I married Remus. I love him…though sometimes I hate the bastard.”

Clove continued to create contact between her blade and the flint. She was numb. Rooted to the ground where she stood.

“See what you are doing?”

The victor gestured to the sparks Clove was making. Her voice was gentile and kind. It felt so unnatural coming from a cold-blooded killer…one that wasn’t given the choice to be one or not.

“Keep that spark alive Clove. There is hope. She may just come back to you.”

Clove felt her eyes burn.

_No! Not in front of a victor! Especially not Lyme! Any tears I have are reserved for Mayn!_

“Clove.”

Clove eyes darted up to meet Lyme’s.

“I know what she asked of you earlier. She never said outright, but I was once her age too. I know the look of desire when I see it. I also know that it’s never happened before…for either of you. But please, don’t deny yourself tonight.”

Clove’s head spun like a top at Lyme’s words.

_How do parents figure these things out? They’re supposed to be oblivious!_

“Remus and I are going to go out to ‘celebrate’ Mayn’s courage to volunteer. We won’t come home. Not until after the Reaping. That will give you two some alone time.”

“Why are you doing this?” Clove asked hoarsely. “Most parents nearly brand their kids when they think like this.”

“Because I am a victor Clove. I know what’s at stake. I know her chances. You will never forgive yourself if you don’t seize the moment and show her how much you care. And for God sake, tomorrow don’t you _dare_ attempt to volunteer in her place. I couldn’t bear to watch you two fight each other over that. Not only would it break Mayn’s heart, but it would spoil everything I know she’s wanting to achieve…for you. That and Remus would probably kill you.”

A silent tear rolled down Clove’s cheek. She hoped Lyme couldn’t see it in the fading daylight.

“What are you waiting for? Go!”

Clove dropped the knife in her hand with a clatter and bolted. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Like her life depended on it. Like she would never see another sunrise. Like she was running to her dying lover on her death bed.

_I’m coming Mayn. I love you!_

 ***

Mayn sat alone in her room. Clove’s reaction earlier didn’t bring her much hope. Her girlfriend was upset…perhaps completely emotionally numb. She knew the circumstances of asking Clove to spend the night with her were likely less than ideal. There was a good chance that this was their only chance. Clove had seemed ready and willing for a while now. But could Clove bring herself to face her after all she had said earlier?

“She should have been here by now,” she whispered to herself. “It’s nearly 7pm.”

Mayn sighed and lay back on her bed. Why she was putting herself through this was understandable, but Clove? That girl didn’t deserve the heartache. Mayn was going to make Clove watch her either win…or die alone in an arena. In that moment she felt unworthy of Clove’s love.

“I could spend a thousand lifetimes and still never be good enough for that girl.”

The future tribute picked up a piece of stone she had been carving and continued the work. Even with her long days in the Academy, worked part time in one of the quarries. She had become a rather talented stone sculptor. Already Mayn had sold some small pieces to a few collectors in the Capitol. This one was not to be sold. It was a gift and nearly completed. Now was as good a time as ever to finish it.

The soapstone’s surface had become silky smooth from the polishing. Its green veins became more drawn out on the grey background. Two initials were carved into the very center of the heart-shaped stone.

_C.M._

The green reminded Mayn of the strange grass that sometimes grew out back in the spring. Clove would bring her strength and luck.

The colour of clover…

Mayn had just put the finishing touches on her piece when she suddenly heard a loud **_whoosh_** from the front walkway. Alarmed, she stumbled to her window and opened it into the darkening night. What she saw took her breath away.

Clove, complete with her full knife vest and a backpack, was standing in a determined sideways high stance looking up at her. She was surrounded by a ring of fire. Only it wasn’t a ring…it was a heart. A burning heart fueled by a small ration of gasoline. That stuff hard to come by and wasn’t cheap, even in District 2. Clearly, Clove wanted to spare no expense to let Mayn know how much she loved her.

_I'll keep that spark alive._ Clove thought as she looked up at her partner.

Both girls nearly felt their hearts jump out of their chests at the sight of the other. Mayn with her let down hair fluttering in the evening breeze and Clove with her eyes sparking in the fire that surrounded her.

“Well,” Clove said in a strong, but clearly nervous tone. “You gunna to let me in?”

Mayn smiled. That was the girl she knew and loved.

She rushed downstairs, unsure if she ever actually touched the floor and threw open the front door. The fire at Clove’s feet was dying down. Without any fear or hesitation, Mayn walked with determination right through the fire, grabbed Clove by the back of the head and pulled her in for a deep, stirring kiss. Their breath caught as they took the moment to feel as close as possible to the other. Butterflies filled their stomachs as they parted. Nervousness tingled under their skin.

“I thought you might not be coming,” Mayn started. “I mean I thought I was about lose you for good. I thought you wouldn’t come here after that. I thought you might be afraid or angry or…”

Clove put her finger over Mayn’s lips to hush her.

“I’m here now,” Clove whispered gently. “And I have no intention of letting you go.”

Mayn let out a nervous half laugh as the breeze swirled through her dirty blonde hair, pushing it into Clove’s face. The scent nearly drove Clove mad. She grabbed at her girlfriend’s hips.

“Hold on there go-getter,” Mayn chucked. “Let’s get inside before you go crazy on me.”

“Crazy?” Clove retorted as they walked to the house. “I’m coming unglued. I’m losing my mind.”

Mayn shut the front door behind them and the pair began to ascend the stairs.

“I mean, I’m torn between loving and hating you all at once for this. I hate you because you are leaving on a literal suicide mission for the approval of your asshole dad, but I love you because you want to do it for us…but before you go do anything that could very well take you away from me forever, you ask me to…”

Clove’s voice trailed off as Mayn lead her into the bedroom. She had lit candles everywhere. The room sparkled. Mayn sparkled.

_Oh my God…_ Clove thought as she gasping for air. _I’ve never seen her more beautiful… Like… Like an angel…_

Mayn’s hair let tiny shafts of light though, her eyes twinkled, her lips shone. It took every ounce of Clove’s resolve as she felt herself losing control, not to lustfully approach her girlfriend. Instead, Clove gulped and pulled a small canister out of her vest.

“What’s that?” Mayn inquired.

“Token,” Clove managed to cough out. “A token…if you’ll accept it.”

Clove had prepared this token a long time ago, fearing this day would come. She had put as much thought as she could into it. The metal canister could literally survive anything any game maker could throw at a person. Clove had torched it, drowned it, knifed it, thrown it, crushed it, dropped it and even buried it. Still the canister endured. It was small enough that the game makers would likely not deny it entry into the arena. It could barely hold an ounce of water but if need be it could hold a little. But it was the contents that were in need of this protection. The real token was made of paper.

Mayn took the canister in her hands and felt the beat up surface with her fingertip.

“Don’t open it now,” Clove whispered with a hint of desperation. “Open it in the Capitol…away from prying eyes.”

Clove’s girlfriend smiled as a tear trickled down her cheek.

“Thank you Clove.”

Mayn walked over to her desk and placed the canister in her bag. She had already packed. The sight of it made Clove’s heart sore. She came back to Clove with a gift of her own.

“I have a token for you as well.”

She placed the green veined soap stone heart in Clove’s hands. With that, Clove couldn’t hold back tears anymore. She fell apart.

“Don’t do it Mayn!” she nearly screamed. “Please! I’m begging you! Don’t do it!”

“I’m beyond turning back now Clove. You know that.”

The pair cried together for a little while. They held each other and sobbed. Neither girl was one for tears, but right now, no one was watching. They no longer cared anyway. The world shrunk to just the pair of them. Just the world of Mayn and Clove.

Clove was the first to lift her head. She stared into Mayn’s ice blue eyes. Their lips and tongues connected into a deeply passionate kiss that made them both cease to breathe.

_One more gift. One that I’ve never shared with anyone. Now is the only time I can show this. Right now. This moment. Forget all else…_

“I am yours.” Clove whispered softly into Mayn’s ear.

***

Remus raised his glass in a toast.

“To my courageous daughter Mayn,” he bellowed. “Who will represent District 2 with honour and valour in the 73rd Annual Hunger Games!”

His friends cheered in approval as they smashed their tankards together. Lyme shook her head as she sat in the corner with Clove’s mother. She sipped her beer gingerly.

“It’s not fair,” Clove’s mother began. “There he is shouting how she needs to represent…how she’s going to make her district proud. Yet, everything his daughter could ever really wish for is here already.”

“Mayn is a brilliant tactician and a strong fighter, Rhea,” Lyme responded sounding a little less than sure of what she was saying. “Unlike me, Mayn has the choice to go. She’s making that choice. While Remus has severely pressured her into it, much more than he should have, in the end the choice was hers to make.”

“Remus still basically forced her,” Rhea retorted. “Mayn feels like if she doesn’t, he will never approve of her! You have to put some sense into that man’s head!”

Lyme sighed. She had tried so many times. Their allegiances had fallen out of sync of one another long ago. It was a mystery as to why they were still together. Remus was one of the major foremen in the northwestern quarry. He had achieved status and wealth without Lyme. Back in the Academy, they had both trained to become peacekeepers. Shortly after Lyme was sent to the games, Remus dropped out. Lyme had never gotten an explanation that she believed out of Remus, but she sure she knew the reason anyway. Remus didn’t want to ever be expected to participate in the Hunger Games himself. He was a spectator and a bit of a gambler. He bet heavily on District 2 every year. He jeered insults at those who were dying as a District 1, 2 and 4 tribute carved them to ribbons. He also yelled out disgraces when District 2 tributes fell in seemingly simple ways.

“Coward…” Lyme whispered to herself on more than one occasion. “I love you but you are a goddamn coward!”

“There is no sense in Remus’ head,” Lyme finally said. “Just cowardice. He loves the games but only as a spectator. He would never volunteer. I’d bet he’d die the first day by the hand of an outlying District if he was selected.”

Rhea took a deep gulp of her drink.

“So what did you tell Mayn before you came to kick Clove to her senses?”

Lyme circled her finger around the lip of her tankard.

“I told her not to expect to come back to Clove.”

Lyme took a deep swig of her beer as Rhea let out a gasped.

“Why in Panem would you say that to her?!”

“Because the odds are never in your favour in Panem!” Lyme said coldly. “Not in the arena. Not in life. I told her the truth. She knows her chances. Perhaps they are slightly higher than other tributes due to her training…and her own smarts. But still, if we are going off by how many people are in that arena…she has a one in 24 chance of living. With her training I’d bump it to maybe one in eight. But there are five other careers as well. Five others just as smart, just as cunning individuals as she is.”

Lyme slammed down her tankard with a crash, making Remus and his entourage look in her direction. She waved them off to signal that the two tipsy women wanted to sit in the corner alone.

“I told her not to expect to come back to Clove for more than one reason though.”

A startled looking Rhea set down her mug gently.

“What other reasons do you have?”

Lyme smiled coyly.

“I know for a fact that our daughters have never been intimate with each other or anyone else.”

Rhea spat her drink out towards a stray cat on the nearby window sill. It hissed angrily and ran across the tavern’s floor, knocking over a few drunken patrons in the process. Clove’s mother’s face wore an expression of total shock.

“I can figure how you know about Mayn, but Clove?”

“Please! They spent all their time together in the fields in broad daylight.” Lyme chuckled. “Besides, I’m a Commander for the peacekeepers. I have access to cameras, surveillance feeds and peacekeeper scuttlebutt. The farthest those two have gone has been some really heavy making out and a little over the clothes action. Before those two realized they were into each other, all they did was walk to and from what they were scheduled to do. That’s all.”

Rhea looked appalled but satisfied with the explanation.

“Good to know you’ve been keeping my girl out of trouble, Lyme.”

Lyme laughed.

“Barely,” she replied. “Do you know how many peacekeepers a day got pranked about six months ago? I had a barrage of complaints about the two of them. They would never dare to go after Mayn, but they also knew they couldn’t touch Clove either. God forbid if you lay a hand a victor’s daughter’s best friend.”

The two women laugh warmly, grasping every moment of happiness they could. They both know the coming weeks would be really hard on all of them. Especially Clove.

“Do the peacekeepers not know about Clove and Mayn?” Rhea chuckled. “Are they blind? Or are they just not wanting to cross you?”

“Likely the latter,” the victor smirked. “I’m sure they know. After all, the night that those two realized they had a thing for one another, it was all caught on tape. I'm certain I stopped it from hitting the feeds, but you never know.”

Again, Rhea’s face showed shock.

“How?! Where were they? I know when because you can’t miss a look on your child’s face that screams secret happiness.”

“They got in a fight. It was raining and the two of them managed to roll in the mud outside near the stables before Mayn threw Clove into a hay trough inside one of the barns. The peacekeepers picked up the disturbance immediately and were dispatched, but I halted them. I had visited the Academy several times without Mayn knowing and had seen the two girls practically at each other’s throats. Did you know that one day the instructors had to handcuff them to their seats to keep them from killing each other?”

Rhea shook her head as she leaned forward intently to listen to Lyme’s story. She had ask Clove many times what happened at the start of her relationship with Mayn, but never got an answer.

“I figured that they’d get off some steam outside of the Academy. You know, to get them to loosen up. It worked for Enobaria years ago after she failed as volunteer tribute. So I thought it would get them to calm down and settle their differences.”

Lyme leaned towards Rhea and dropped her voice to a hushed tone.

“Mayn had managed to roll on top of Clove right at the last second. It was like I saw a click behind their eyes. I didn’t expect it to happen, but they kissed right there. And I thought it was a rivalry that just needed sorting out. Turns out it was tension of the loving nature. Oh, don’t worry, I had the tapes claimed and copies erased.”

“You still have a copy don’t you?”

All Lyme did was smile.

“I know that having issues with a gay relationship it’s a 21st century thing, not a modern day problem, but still. I was attempting to protect the two of them. You know, just in case that one day one of them did end up in the Hunger Games. Then the Capitol wouldn’t have it to use for their own entertainment.”

Rhea’s shoulders sagged with relief.

“Tell me this then, Lyme. Why did you make Mayn and Clove so desperate tonight then?”

The bearlike woman looked down at her nearly empty tankard with a smile.

“Because when you have everything to gain and nothing more to lose, you have everything to prove to a lover. There is no want to receive, just the need to give. It’s the best kind of lovemaking we humans can achieve.”

Lyme and Rhea shared a knowing smile as they finished off their drinks.

“Besides…I swept my house before we left. No one in the Capitol will see them proving their love for one another but themselves.”


End file.
